Slipway cradle



April 22, 1947. f C, E MMS 2,419,361

SLIPWAY CRADLE Filed Nov. 28, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 omeufmi maw A /yf www.

April 22, 1947. c. E..M1Ll:s 2,419,361

' SLIPWAY CRADLE Filed Nov. 23, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 oooooodo.

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cmdmd Patented Apr. 22v 1947 S PATENTl OFFICEA SLIPWAY CRADLE Charles Edward Miles, Hampton-on-Thames, England Application November 28, 1945, VSerial No. 631,333 n Great Britain April 20, 1945 This invention relates to slipway cradles or poppets for supporting a boat while being hauled up a slipway out oi the water or launched into thev water from a slipway. Heretofore it has been usual to support a boat by erecting a cradle of a size approximating to th-at of a boat to be supported andthen insert wedges to nt against the boat being dealt with. Such an arrangement however is liable to cause d-amage to the hull of a boat by reason that some of the wedges may be driven home too hard and others not hard enough. Also with such arrangements the labour cost in erecting such cradles is relatively high.

The present invention has for its object to provide a slipway cradle adapted for use with hulls of boats of widely varying dimensions wherein the above mentioned disadvantages are obviated and to enable one man only to get the cradle or cradles into position for supporting a boat and whichcan be done while the boat is still chiefly water-borne. It also has for its object to enable the cradle to be readily withdr-awn, after the boat is out of the water and has been shored up, in order that a boats bottom may be repaired, sheathed or painted and'which, after such work has been done, can easily be replaced.

For this purpose according to the invention, a cradle comprises self-adjusting chocks c-arried'by carriages arranged at opposite sides oi a boat and laterally movable on a main trolley and means for movin-g the said carriages so that the chocks can be caused to bear against opposite sides of the bottom of a boat and can be moved away therefrom when desired. The traversing carriages may each be provided with a pawl adapted to engage with teeth of a rack by me-ans of which the carriages are held in the position into which theyr have been moved. The-checks are so mounted thatthey can pivot both fore and aft and athwartc ships/to suit` the hull oi the boatvto be supported. Guide posts which are preferably adjustable, may be provided to extend upwards at opposite sides of-a boat. Y

In the accompanying illustrative drawings Fig. 1 isa perspective view oi va slipway cradle'according -to-the invention in position on a main trolley and Fig. 2 is an end view of a cradle showing diagran-lmatically, a boat-thereon.

Referring to the drawings, a main trolley I of any suitable form and construction to suit the largest size of boatl to-be dealtr with is provided having wheels or rollers la' adapted to-move along slipwayrails; Secured to the trolley, preferably centrally of its length, are angle bars2, say four, arranged'transversely of thetrolley and extending outwardly therefrom at each side, supporting members 3, 3a being attached to the trolley and bars to afford support tothe latter. Arranged inside the angle bars and secured thereto, preferab-ly by welding, are further angle bars 4- of smaller sized angle completing guides between the two sets of angle bars for traversing carriages. Each traversing carriage comprises a pair of side cheeks 5 connected together and provided with rollers t adapted to run on tracks` 1 arranged between the angle bars, members 8 being connected to the cheeks to engage the above mentioned guides and prevent the carriages lifting. Carried by the upper portion of each cheek 5v is ra spindleor bolt 9 upon which is pivotally mounted a movable arm IG- carrying at each end aV wooden chock II adapted to pivot fore and aft and also athwartships, the chocks being thus adapted to adjust themselves to the form of the boat and distribute the pressure evenly. The vertical position of the movable arm may be varied by providing the cheeks of the carriage with holes I2 at varying heights Vinto one or other pairs of which the spindle carrying said arm may be placed.

The lower end of each carriage 5A is provided with a pawl I3 adapted to engage with teeth I4 of a rack arranged between the roller tracks.

The ends of each movable arm I0 are bifurcated as shown and connected by a pin or spindle I5 on which is pivotally mounted -a bracket I6 to give athwartship motion, the said bracket being formed with bearings to receive trunnons II projecting from metal shoes I8 embracing the sides of the chock Il, said trunnions permitting fore and aft motion of the checks.

The main trolley I is provided with suitable hardwood chocks i9 bolted to the trolley and upon which the keel 200i a boat 2| (Fig. 2) is adapted to rest. Conveniently three such chocks are provided, as shown, one at each end of the trolley and one centrally thereof between pairs of angle bars 2 extending to opposite sides thereof.

Each carriage 5 is provided with a sheave `22 mounted within a -cover at the inner end thereof around which an inhaul wire rope 23, preferably a 'galvanized iiexible steel wire rope, passes, an eyebolt 24 being screwed into the framing of the main trolley I to which is attachedl the standing part of the said inhaul wire rope 23. The centrally arranged bearing chock I9 for the keel of the boat is provided with two passages or tubes 25, 26 and the wire rope 23l shackled at one end to the eyebolt 24 on the trolley is led around the sheave 22- onV the carriage at thesame side as the eyebolt (the right hand carriage in Fig. 1), back through one of the passages or tubes 25, round the sheave 22 on the other carriage, back through the second passage or tube 26, through the first carriage to a hooded sheave 21 and round this sheave to a hand winch 28 mounted at a suitable height on one of two guide posts 29 arranged at opposite sides of a boat and which extend into sockets 3D carried by the projecting portions of the angle bars 2 and one of said sockets 30 carrying the said hooded sheave 21. The guide posts L 2,9 are adapted to be moved inwards or outwards along the angle bars 2 to adapt them for use with boats of dilerent sizes and for this purpose holes 3| are provided in the angle bars 2 through one or other pairs of which a bolt 32 on the lower end of the guide post sockets 3D may be passed.

Bolted to each guide post is a flanged -plate 33 provided with a series of holes 34 and a bracing bar 35 is provided having at each end a series of holes 36 4by means of which and bolts therethrough the bracing bars are adapted to be secured to the ilanged plates 33 and to the angle bars 2 so that the angle of the guide posts can be varied.

Each traversing carriage is provided with an outhaul or check wire 31' to prevent the carriages closing in accidentally. Each check wire is shackled to one cheek 5 of each carriage and is led back around a sheave 38 carried by each guide post 29, each wire being preferably spliced on to a Manila tail which is led through an eye 3.9 on the guide post to a cleat 4) on the post. The rope is preferably knotted above the eye to prevent the rope from becoming unreeved in the event of it being disconnected from the cleat.

Means, for instance an eye bolt 4I, may, as shown, be provided on the pawl I3 on each carriage to which a tripping line may be attached for lifting the pawl out of engagement with its associated rack for moving the carriages outwardly.

In operation, if a large round-bottomed boat, for instance, is to be hauled up, the positions of the cradles are iirst decided upon and then the maximum beam of the boat at the position of each cradle ascertained. The guide posts 29 are then brought to such a position that when upright, or nearly so, they will just clear these breadths. The bracing bars 35 are then bolted up to hold the posts in this position. The traversing carriages 5 are then pulled outwards to the ends of the racks I4 and the outhaul or check lines 31 hauled taut to prevent the carriages moving inwards. The main trolleys I, say two, with cradles thereon spaced at the required distance from each other to support the fore and aft parts of a boat are then lowered down the slipway until there is sufficient water above them to enable a boat to float over them. VThe boat is manoeuvred between the guide posts 29 and brought ahead till it is at a predetermined position with respect to the guide posts on the cradle to be arranged forward of the boat. The boat is then secured in position, either by tieing the boat to each post or by means of a light tackle, by drawing the posts towards each other and gripping the boat rmly between.

The trolley I is hauled up, drawing the boat with it tillit is seen that the fore part of the boat is being lifted out of the water. When this occurs, the trolley is stopped, a man on deck lets go the outhaul or checkwire 31 at each side, mans the winchv 28 on a guide post and heaves round until novmore line can be wound in when it will be known that both traversing carriages 5 have been pulled right in and each pair of chocks I I are bearing against the hull of the boat 2| and supporting it. The winch 28 may have a pawl 28a (Fig. 2) as a secondary precaution to hold it in position to which it has been turned.

The trolley and boat are then hauled up and will in turn draw up a second trolley which will be in correct position for the cradle thereon to support the after portion of the boat. As soon as the after end of the boat is lifting out of the water the trolleys are stopped and the second cradle brought into position to support the boat in a similar manner to that adapted for the rst cradle.

The hauling up of the trolleys and boat is then continued as far as desired whereupon the boat may be shored up in the usual way and the pawls of the Winches and traversing carriages lifted out of the associated racks or ratchets and the carriages 5 drawn outwards leaving the bottom of the boat clear for working on.

Boats with bottoms other than round-bottomed may be supported by means of cradles as described, for instance a chine boat, the chocks adjusting themselves to suit.

What I claim is:

l. A slipway cradle for supporting a boat, comprising a main trolley, transverse guides extending in opposite sides of said trolley, a pair of traversing carriages movable in said guides, a pivoted arm centrally carried by each of said carriages, a pivoted chock carried by each end of each said pivoted arm, means for moving said carriages towards each other to cause said chocks to bear against opposite sides of the bottom of a boat supported on said trolley and means for moving said carriages away from each other.

2. A slipway cradle for supporting a boat, comprising a main trolley, transverse guides extending on opposite sides of said trolley, a pair of traversing carriages each comprising a pair of side cheeks, a spindle connecting each pair of cheeks, a pivoted arm centrally carried by each said spindle, a pivoted chock carried by each end o each said pivoted arm, a rack between said guides at each side of the center of said trolley, rollers carried by each of said carriages engaging and movable in said guides, means for simultaneously moving said pair of carriages towards each to cause said chocks to bear against opposite sides of the bottom of a boat supported on said trolley, a pawl carried by each of said carriages to engage with said racks and hold said carriages in the position into which they have been moved and means for moving said carriages away from each other.

3. A slipway cradle for supporting a boat, cornprising a main trolley, transverse guides extending on opposite sides of said trolley, a pair of traversing carriages movable in said guides, a pivotedarm carried by each kof said carriages, a pivoted chock carried'by each end of each said pivoted arm, an inhaul rope one end of which is A connected to said trolley, a sheave carried by 1 each carriage around-each of which said rope is passed, means for hauling said rope to cause said carriages simultaneously to move towards each other to cause said chocks to bear against opposite sides of the bottom of a boat supported on said trolley, means for holding said carriages in the position into which they have been moved and means for moving said carriages away from each other. y -Y v 4. A slipway cradle Yfor supporting a boat, com-ll 'upwardly extending post carried by the outer end of each of said extensions, means for adjusting the position of each said post along said extensions, means for moving said carriages towards each other to cause said chccks to bear against opposite sides of the bottom of a boat 'supported on said trolley and means for moving 'said carriages away from each other.

5. A slipway cradle for supporting a boat, comprising a main trolley, transverse guides extending on opposite sides of said trolley, a pair of traversing carriages movable in said guides, selfadjusting chocks carried by each of said carriages, a lateral extension on each said guide, an upwardly extending post carried by the outer end of each said extension, means for adjusting the position of each said post along said extensions, an inhaul rope connected at one end to said main trolley, a sheave carried by each said carriage around which said rope is passed, va sheave carried by one of said posts, around which said rope is passed, a winch carried by said post for hauling said rope to cause said carriages simultaneously to move towards each other and means for moving said carriages away from each other. t

6. A slipway cradle for supporting a boat, comprising a main trolley, transverse guides extending on opposite sides of said trolley, a pair of traversing carriages movable in said guides, seliadjusting chocks carried by each of said carriages, a lateral extension on each said guide, an upwardly extending post pivotally carried at its lower end by the outer end of each said extension, a bracing bar adjustably connected to each said guide and each said post, means for moving said carriages towards each other to cause said chocks to bear against opposite sides of the bottom of a boat supported on said trolley, said carriages being movable away from each other.

7. A slipway cradle for supporting a boat, comprising a main trolley, transverse guides extending on opposite sides of said trolley, a pair of traversing vcarriages each comprising a pair of side cheeks connected together, rollers carried by said side cheeks engaging and movable within said guides, self-adjusting chocks carried by each said carriage, a lateral extension on each said guide, an upwardly extending post pivotally carried by the outer end of each said extension and adjustable along said extension, an inhaul rope connected at one end to said main trolley, a sheave carried by each said carriage around which said rope is passed, a sheave carried by one of said posts around which said rope is passed, a winch carried by said post for hauling said rope to cause said carriages simultaneously to move towards each other and cause said chocks to bear on opposite sides of the bottom of a boat supported by said trolley and means for moving said carriages away from each other.

8. A slipway cradle for supporting a boat, comprising a main trolley, transverse guides extending on opposite sides of said trolley, a pair of traversing carriages each comprising a pair of side cheeks, a spindle connecting each pair of cheeks, a pivoted arm carried by each said spindle, a pivoted chock carried by each end of each said pivoted arm, a rack between said guides at each side of the centre of said trolley, rollers carried by each of said carriages engaging and movable in said guides, a lateral extension on each said guides, an upwardly extending socket pivotally carried by the outer end cf each said extension an upwardly extending post within each said socket, means for adjusting the position of each said socket along said extension, an inhaul rope one end of which is connected to said trolley, a sheave carried by each carriage around which said rope is passed, a sheave carried by one of said upwardly extending sockets around which said rope is passed, a winch carried by one of said posts for hauling said rope to cause said carriages simultaneously to move towards each other to cause said chocks to bear against opposite sides of the bottom of a boat supported on said trolley, a pawl carried by each said carriage to engage with said racks and hold said carriages in the position into which they have been moved, a bracing bar adjustably connected to each said post and to each said guide for varying the angle of said posts, and an outhaul rope connected to each carriage to prevent accidental movement of said carriages towards each other and for moving them away from each other.

CHARLES EDWARD MILES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 901,589 Burwell Oct. 20, 1908 857,264 West June 18, 1907 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,121 French 1857 

